Water is expensive. That’s what Jody Westby, a south Tulsa resident, had to say about it. She paid more than $200 for water last month, and the rate just went up again. According to her, water is “on everyone’s radar.”
If that includes you, you might notice your City of Tulsa utility bill is a little higher this month. That’s due to new rates approved in June that just went into effect and will be reflected on November bills. On average, a typical customer can expect to see an extra $4.71 on their bills each month, according to a Tulsa City Council breakdown.
“Tulsa does have a good water system, but the cost of repairing infrastructure and maintaining our systems, which didn’t have a lot of investment in the earlier years, is now raising a lot of costs for consumers,” Westby said.
What to know about the price increase
Your City of Tulsa utility bill includes charges for five services — water, sewer, stormwater, refuse/recycling and EMSA (ambulance services). All but EMSA increased this month.
- Water: up 5.4% (from $4.44 to $4.57 per 1,000 gallons of water used)
- Sewer: up 2.3% ($10.65 to $10.82 per 1,000 gallons of water used)
- Stormwater: up 12% (from $12.22 to $13.69)
- Refuse/Recycling: up 4% ($23.40 to $24.33 for the 96-gallon refuse cart)
- EMSA: no change
These rate increases will cover the costs of pipe maintenance and other projects specific to these utility services, according to the city. The city council says there are more than 2,000 known defects in the sewer system, and consumers are now paying the price for low rates 30 years ago.
While Tulsans are paying a bit more now, it’s not as much as originally expected. According to the City of Tulsa’s 2026 financial plan, residents could have paid up to 6% more for water rather than the current 4% increase and 15% more for stormwater instead of the current 12% increase. Successful improvements to the water system and a higher-than-expected balance in the stormwater fund saved residents a little money, the city council says.
The city has options for Tulsans struggling to pay their utility bills. You can call 311 and set up a payment plan, or you can call 211 to get connected with utility payment assistance programs. You can also go to a Tulsa Financial Empowerment Center location, which offers one-on-one financial counseling at no cost. Find out more about your utility bill here.
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
